A generally solidly researched biography. Coleman is fair to his subject, if a little too deferential for my tastes. Although he tries to walk a fine line between being excessively scholarly and being accessible, at times some of the details can veer on the tedious side. Nevertheless, Coleman's efforts to build a case that DeLeon was not the dogmatic puritanical idealogue he was made out to be are well taken. A solid contribution to our understanding of a very unique era in American history.